A Perfect Fall Pairing
It’s this time of year – when the days get shorter, the slight chill that laces the air is warded off by a cozy sweater and comfy scarf, and the harvest of all things great and yummy (including grapes, pumpkins & squash, root vegetables and stone fruit) just beg to be turned into something delicious. Say no more, the harvest gods’ wish is our command.
Rain and chilly temperatures have come through Toronto this past week (in fact, as we write this, there are rumours those things hitting the window panes are actually ice pellets) so that signals to us that it is time to pull out the ol’ crock pot and get down to some serious braising and stewing.
One of our favourite go-to cold weather dishes is Coq au Vin, Erin started perfecting this nearly a decade ago (we call this her François period, which came before her current Italiano period – in which she is in now as she is working her way through a series of Italian dishes). Anyway, much to her credit, her coq au vin, or just coq as we like to call it, has become a family favourite and a several-times-a-year repeat dinner.
Coq au vin is a very flexible dish when it comes to pairing wine. If you prefer white wines, go for a full bodied white Burgundy or even dry Riesling. If you have a hankering for red, opt for Beaujolais, Pinot Noir or Côtes to Rhône, though truth be told any light to medium bodied red should work just fine.
We were interested in trying a red Burgundy that had come through Vintages recently, and it turned out to be a fantastic pairing. Domaine Parent Bourgogne 2010, is technically an entry level wine, but its nuanced flavours of red cherry, raspberry, spice and smoke are so perfectly Burgundian, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a bit more prestigious. It’s a gorgeous wine to sip while putting dinner together, munching on cheese, and even better when paired with the earthy flavours of the dish.
If you’d like to try it for yourself, here is how Erin makes her Coq au Vin, but it’s easy enough to adapt to your own tastes.
Coq au Vin
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/4 c. flour
- 1 Tbsp dried thyme
- 1 Tbsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 c. bacon, cut into small cubes
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 celery ribs, sliced
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 3 large cloves garlic, diced
- 1/2 c. brandy or cognac
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 large dried bay leaves
- Handful fresh thyme, still on stems
- 1 c. white wine (most coq au vin recipes call for red — Erin prefers white so as not to turn the chicken pink)
- 1 c. chicken stock
- 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1 bag pearl or cipollini onions, halved if very large
Method:
- Mix the dried thyme, salt, pepper and flour together in a bowl
- Dredge chicken pieces and set aside
- Set a large pot over medium heat, add in cubed bacon
- Sautee until bacon is cooked and fat in rendered, then remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside
- Add chicken pieces to bacon fat in pot and sear on both sides just long enough to get colour (be careful not to over-crowd the pot, you may have to do this in batches)
- Remove chicken & place with reserved bacon
- Add olive oil to pot if necessary and add diced onion to pot
- After a minute or so, add in the carrot and after another minute add the celery, then the garlic
- Cook until the vegetables start to soften
- Deglaze with cognac, being careful around open flame, and scrape brown bts off the bottom of the pot
- Add in tomato paste, stir to coat, the add in mushrooms
- Return reserved chicken and bacon to the pot and pour in white wine, chicken stock, bay leaf and fresh thyme
- Bring to a gentle simmer
- After about 15 minutes, add peeled onions
- Cook for another 10 minutes or until the onions are cooked through
- Adjust seasonings and serve over mashed potatoes.